Hi guys. I know it's been a seriously long time since I've posted but I had some serious problems with this chapter that needed to be addressed. I hope I did it justice in the end because it took a hell of a long time to write. I already have some of the next chapter written and since it's not so hard to write, I should be able to release it in good time...at least a lot better time than it took me to write this. I have 2 more "Home" chapters to write then I'll be moving things to Hogwarts.

No I have not forgotten about Helena...she's just not important yet so I'm giving her story room to breath. I will be giving her little parts here and there though.

Enjoy this chapter.

Where time had flowed during the day, it was now warmer and the streets more heavily populated. With one last look to make sure he knew where he was, he walked further down the street, keeping a keen eye open for anywhere they could sell him what he needed. During his walk he started to think about the summer he had had so far. He had thought about his summer quite a few times the last few days but now things were becoming more real, more tangible. It was now literally only a week till school started and he was conflicted. On one hand Hogwarts was his home and he had so many good memories there. He had his friends who he had admittedly missed throughout the summer and he knew in his heart of hearts that it was the best place for him to learn. He could only learn so much from his mother and most of that was centred on combat so that next time he ran into a situation he would be ready for it. They had barely skimmed over Transfiguration and Lily had only taught Harry the obscure charms that she knew, not willing to ruin his enjoyment of Hogwarts by teaching him things that she was sure he would learn this year anyway. She did cover a lot of theory though, to make it easier for him to learn.

All in all, that was why he was conflicted, because he knew he would miss her terribly when he was back at school. He enjoyed her instruction immensely but what he enjoyed more was just…her. She was his mother it was hard not to want to stay with her. He had not seen her since he was a baby and to have to leave her alone for 8 months of the year wasn't a prospect he found very nice. He knew they would have letters but it just wouldn't be the same. He would miss waking up to the smell of her cooking in the morning. He would miss the way she smiled at him whenever he asked a question. He would certainly miss the banter they had slowly formed over the course of his stay. She had made such a big impact on him that it almost felt wrong to leave. And then there was another thing, he would be leaving her all alone in that house with no company. It was not exactly like she could go out. She had half the Order looking for her. It wasn't like she would be spotted by anyone but all it took was a bit of bad luck and the Ministry would be all over her. Add in the fact she was supposed to be dead and that painted a pretty bleak picture of what would happen if ever she were caught.

It seemed almost cruel to leave her alone but he knew she would never let him stay. If she had to she would stun him and drag him to the platform herself and she could too, as he still hadn't once been able to beat her. He wondered what she would do with her time, cooped up In the house. He doubted she would stay indoors but knew she wasn't stupid enough to wander anywhere where there was a likelihood of her being seen. He pushed the thought out of his head though. He knew this trail of thought would lead to guilt.

He was so lost in his thought that he almost missed it. He had followed until it hit a bend. He noticed that the crowd had thinned somewhat and came to the conclusion that this was near the end of the alley. Looking back he could see the crowd was still as dense as it was earlier on the main street, people milling around in hurried footsteps. The school year wasn't so far away, so all the Beuxbattons' families were rushing around from shop to shop purchasing all they would need for the new year. It felt strange that he could sometimes make out what they were saying; the translator rings that his mother invented were surely effective. He noticed that he hardly had to concentrate now for the ring to work; the language had almost been taken in perfectly.

He was sure that after a time he would be able to speak fluent French without even wearing it. Not exactly it's intended use but by complete accident his mother had created something truly amazing. He could program any language into it and so long as he was around the culture for long enough, he would eventually be able to speak almost any language he wanted to learn. The possibilities were endless.

Shaking himself out his musings again, he look upon the building on his right, situated on the corner of the path as it forked out and changed its path. It wasn't much to look at; just looked like the average home. The front was painted white with black beams crisscrossing the front. There was an overgrown garden at its front, unkempt and messy, though not enough to be an abandoned building. At the front was a small black gate on a metal latch, opening its way to a stone paved path that led to a set of steps just in front of the property. A few flower baskets hung on each side giving the place a very homely feel, like a family could easily live here happily.

It was a relatively normal house on the whole.

That's what made it stand out so much.

Taking a step closer, he noticed a sign that had almost fallen down from the wall of the house, though a single nail had still somehow saved it from completely falling. It read.

"Laurent Fabre's Shop for Magical Trunks and Storage."

Well I'm certainly in the right place he thought to himself. He was curious however, as to why this shop would be so far from the main street. Surely they can't have many customers. What was more interesting maybe, was that this place didn't really look like a shop. It was a house with a sign nailed to the front, and even that was barely hanging on.

He opened the gate and made his way up the path, making a small creaking noise as it opened. A rough breeze blew across the garden, causing the leaves and grass to rustle. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the only sound he could hear was the sound of his footsteps and the wind. Nothing more.

"Must be a silencing ward placed around the property…" he muttered under his breath as he made his way to the front door.

"Hello?" he called into the silence. Where was the owner? Surely if this was a shop he wouldn't have to knock on the front door. That seemed almost alien to him. The silence that now hung in the air was almost disconcerting, such was the stark contrast between this house and the surrounding street. Less than half a mile away was a busy shopping district, yet it felt like there was nothing around for miles.

"Hello?" he called out again, slightly louder, hoping to get someone's attention. Was there even anyone here he thought. Now he was closer he could hear the faint jingling of wind chimes, a sound that unnerved him slightly as it felt like the beginning of a scene in a bad horror movie. The smell of flora felt like a gentle reassurance at this moment, a granule of pleasant feeling in a tempest of bad omens. When the only sound to be heard is the sound of metal wind chimes softly blowing in the wind he would take solace in anything. It truly was an eerie place. He was just about to turn around and go, thinking that this was a bust and that nobody was around, when he felt a wand at the back of his neck.

"Well this is certainly a surprise. Don't move. What are you doing here? People around here know I don't sell to everyone" came a gruff voice behind. It was low and hoarse and had a tonal quality that suggested that he was old.

If it wasn't for his mother's lessons, he would have jumped out of his skin. Instead he just flinched slightly and took in the situation. This man had managed to sneak behind him without Harry sensing the man at all. He knew he had to play this carefully.

"Are you Laurent?" He asked curiously, being careful with his words. While he had no reason to be scared, he still didn't want a confrontation. That would be…bad.

"Of course. What kind of question is that? Who else lives here?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Everyone knows" he said irritably. "I'm the premier trunk maker in France. I may not sell to everybody but that doesn't mean people don't know me. So if you're going to lie to me, lie better."

"I'm not from France" Harry said confidently. "I'm from England. I came here hoping to buy a multi-compartment trunk for my school things and a few other…items." He finished carefully

"Why should I sell to you? I don't know you" he asked with a hint of mocking.

To that Harry smirked before replying.

"Everybody knows me" he said, throwing the man's previous words back at him. For a few seconds there was silence again, the sound of the man's breath the only indication that he was still there. A warm breeze rustled some leaves again, a few of them floating in front of him as the wind blew.

"Turn around" Laurent demanded, breaking the quiet, though his voice verged on curiosity rather than malice.

"Slowly…and raise your hands. Don't want you going for your wand now do we?" he said in his gruff voice, a hint of sarcasm at the end.

Harry turned round slowly, raising his hands slowly above his head to show he was unarmed. He was careful not to make any jerky movements. While he didn't fear this man, he didn't want to do anything that would lead to trouble and was careful to move as slowly and assuredly as possible.

When he finally turned around old man met his eyes. He was of average height, maybe 5'10 or slightly less, though it was hard to tell. He wore a long blue cloak that looked rather expensive with a Celtic style gold trim. His face was aged though he didn't look frail; his eyes sharp and intelligent and his mouth pressed in a hard line. He sported white hair and a well-trimmed white beard, styled into a goatee. He knew that if push came to shove this man could still move quickly and that he'd be no pushover. The fact that he had managed to sneak up on him so easily was testament to that. Underneath his cloak he could see a black tunic with gold buttons. The most noticeable thing about him however was the large ring he carried on the index finger of his wand hand, white gold inlaid with a large ruby in its centre. It almost seemed to glow as the rays of the sun met the polished stone.

"Should I know you?" he said, keeping his wand arm outstretched. He was so still that had his mouth not moved, Harry wouldn't have known he was talking to him.

"You're kidding right?"

"You didn't know who I was, I don't see why this is so strange" Laurent said with a wry smile

"Yes but-…oh yes the glamor." Harry realised. He had almost forgotten that he was disguised. He found it rather ironic that the one time he wanted to be recognised, he was incognito as he could be.

"My name" he continued, "Is Harry Potter. I'm sure you've heard of him even here" he said as the man's eyes widened slightly at his declaration.

"Yes I've heard of him. Words going around that he's missing. Caused quite a laugh here in certain circles. A government that can't keep track of a child" he said with mocking amusement.

"However" he went on, "how do I know that you're not just an imposter using a famous person's name. I don't think it's chronicled anywhere that Harry Potter can speak French."

"I can't. An invention given to my by my-…let's just say friend for now. It's safer."

"Quite" he said. Laurent still didn't lower his wand, though he looked slightly less tense than before.

"So here we have a problem. How can you prove you are who you say you are?" he asked.

"I could just take the glamor off, though I would need you to reapply it when I leave, since I still don't know how to do it by myself." He said gesturing to his face. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. This won't matter if you refuse to sell to me. I have to ask though, why does it matter who I am? I've never met anyone this picky about their customers. It's rather obvious I'm not a Death Eater so it can't be that…" he said creasing his brow in confusion.

"You really haven't heard of me have you? I'm the world's premier magical chest crafter. You name your feature and I could probably make it happen" he said with pride. "My work is the best you'll ever find. The security is unparalleled, Gringotts notwithstanding, and they are almost impossible to break. You buy from me and you'll never need a trunk again. So you can see why I don't sell to just about anybody. For instance what would happen if you're…let's say Lord Flight From Death-"

"Sorry?"

"Flight From Death…it's your Darks Lord's name in French."

"Oh…sorry."

"Stupid name anyway. My point is, if he had one, he could put anything of value in it and leave it almost anywhere and no ministry official could get in. Nobody."

"I'm about as far away from Voldemort as you can get." Harry said confidently.

"You still haven't proved to me you're Harry Potter."

"I can't take off the glamor can I? I'm underage."

"In France, the magical laws are a lot looser. You are on the grounds of a wizard's home, so casting is legal." He explained.

"Can my magic be traced by my government?" Harry asked.

"Not this close to the main street. Too much active magic", he replied

"Fair enough" Harry said and was about to draw his wand before Laurent stopped him

"I'll do it! Keep still" he said sharply before muttering a quick finite.

"That's better. You could have easily been an imposter about to draw your wand to attack" Laurent said to him

"You're more paranoid than Moody" Harry muttered under his breath as the man before him finally lowered his wand. He was visibly more relaxed, though his eyes never left his face.

It made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

It was a few seconds before anyone spoke again.

"So why should I sell to you? As far as I'm aware Hogwarts isn't exactly somewhere you would normally need a high end security trunk."

"You obviously don't know my life."

"Ah of that I surely do believe. However you did not answer my question."

"Which was?"

"Why should I sell to you? And before you say it, I don't need an endorsement. People already know I'm be the best at what I do" the man said with pride.

"No, why should I sell to you? What is your need? Everyone has secrets so that is no surprise, but some secrets are more dangerous than others, a fact that I wish Dumbledore would take into account more often. What I offer are the most secure storage units in the world bar Gringotts, so I need to know your intentions before I go around selling trunks to someone who could potentially cause a lot of damage"

"And you really think I would turn into that?" asked Harry with a hint of shock.

"Power can make you do strange things. I'm not saying owning a trunk of this nature would make you evil, that is about as stupid as saying it's a wands fault that a curse is fired, no it's the things you put inside it that could be dangerous, along with the intent of the owner."

"I won't pretend that some of the books I read will be…questionable, but I would never turn into that…creature or anything even close."

"All good men say that before they fall."

"My friends wouldn't allow it."

"They wouldn't be able to stop you."

"My mother wouldn't either…and there is no way I would ever do something to disappoint her" Harry said with conviction. He hadn't initially wanted to reveal that tidbit of information but a nagging part of his mind told him to be completely honest, which included sharing his mother's existence.

"Your mother is dead."

"She is very much alive. However, I am the only person on the planet that knows this...though some suspect."

"Really?"

At this point Harry began to tell Laurent everything that had been happening to him; how his mother was alive, how she had been teaching him and showing him his potential, and what he planned to do at Hogwarts to ensure he was one step ahead of Riddle, if that was possible. Although Laurent kept asking him questions, questioning Harry's answers suspiciously, it was obvious that Harry was speaking the truth. Harry didn't feel afraid to tell this man the truth either, partly because he had too, and partly because he actually wanted to share, needed to tell someone what he had been doing this summer.

"So why do you want one of my trunks?" Laurent asked again, after Harry had finished speaking.

"Truthfully I just wanted to keep my books hidden at school, I didn't seek you out purposely."

"Evidently, as you didn't know who I was before I told you, but now you do and you're hooked. I can see it in your eyes" he smiled benevolently. "So think about your answer. I'm sure you can do better than that", he said with mirth.

Harry took a few seconds to consider his answer before replying. In truth the answer he gave was the most honest one he could think of, but he had known that wouldn't be enough. He had to think of another reason, another honest reason, a reason that he hadn't thought of yet but still held true. It was hard, but eventually he came up with his answer.

"I need to be better…to know better. You said you can make some of the most magically advanced trunks in the world right? With your skills I could have the equivalent of Hogwarts' library in my trunk and no-one would be any the wiser. I could keep all my belongings, not just my books, safe from the likes of Riddle and his followers. Even if I was captured, from what you told me he wouldn't be able to touch them. It's the ultimate security. I want to be better, and a standard trunk has too much margin for error. I could be found out in weeks or months but the point is someone would eventually get too curious the moment they see the spells I am studying and they will tell the Headmaster. I love them dearly but that is just how they are. They will run to the nearest authority figure at the slightest suspicion of me learning dark spells. They see things too black and white. I'm being hunted Laurent, and without the tools that so many adults are doing their best to keep me from, my survival chances are very low."

"I realise what you can give me will be very small in the grand scheme of things. This I understand. The world cannot be fixed by a few expensive trinkets. This is merely the first step in a long journey, a tool that will give me the greatest chance of succeeding." He finished with gritty determination.

The words that came out of his mouth surprised him, although the truth in them was definitely still there.

Laurent was standing there, eyeing Harry with appraisal. He seemed to be deep in thought, his brow slightly furrowed. Briefly Harry wondered if it would be best to just walk away but it would do him no good to be a coward and besides, he still hadn't been given an answer.

Finally after what seemed like an age, the man spoke up again.

"Alright…you've convinced me boy."

"Don't call me that!" Harry snapped back, taking the elder man slightly by surprise. Realising what he just did, he recovered.

"Sorry…that word has bad connotations for me" he muttered quickly, embarrassed by his outburst. I'm better than this he thought to himself.

"No harm done" Laurent replied "Though I'd refrain from having another outburst if I were you." He finished with a stern glare.

For the first time in the conversation he turned his back on Harry and started walking towards the front door of his house. His quick steps belied his age, swiftly making ground up the cobbled path until he was at the door. He turned back only to realise that Harry had not followed.

"Well come on then!" he called. "Come in! You can hardly see what I have to sell here can you? No come inside and I will show you." He said gesturing to the entrance. Harry soon followed, though warily, as the man still put him a bit on edge. He had the same kind of wisdom in his eyes as the Headmaster but tinged with a little madness and unpredictability. He felt that if he put a toe out of line, his wand would be on him in a moment. As if reading his mind he heard Laurent's voice call out in front of him.

"Relax kid, I'm careful not crazy. I tested you, you passed. Let's move on." He said quickly as he opened the front door, flashing him a slight grin. It looked almost foreign on his worn face, the only flicker of positive emotion he had exhibited towards him so far. It didn't last long however as he soon turned back around and stepped over the house's threshold. Harry quickly followed him

As soon as he took a single step inside he marvelled at what he saw. Benches and worktables were scattered all around the room, leaving very little place to walk other than a large clearing in the centre of the room. The walls were painted a dark brown and the place would have seemed dark if it wasn't for the large windows that lined each wall, letting rays of sun shine through, lighting up the dust particles in the air, almost making the light look solid.

Tools were strewn everywhere, hammers and anvils, saws and grinders. It looked more like a muggle's workshop rather than magical and he would have thought it was if it wasn't for the subtle differences. Harry had only just started learning runes from his mother, since he had never taken the subject before, so he didn't know what they all meant, yet he could easily recognise them by sight. On each bench there were runes carved into the corners, glowing different colours. He guessed the colouring depended on their function. It wasn't really important, though he resolved to ask his mother about it later. Even the most simple of tools like hammers had runes carved into the handle.

In one corner of the workshop he could see a set of tools working off their own accord, creating what looked like a trunk, though it was far from finished. Since it was being made autonomously and not by hand, he surmised that it was probably a mass production trunk or a simple non magical one. Again, it wasn't important.

Laurent shuffled through the room, weaving in and out of the arranged workstations until he came to the centre of the room. Harry had to shuffle out the way at one point as a broom almost crashed into him as it was sweeping dust off the floor.

"I would say welcome but I think we are passed that" Laurent said, gesturing around the room. "In here is some of my finest work. You may think I only sell magical trunks but I do far more than that" he said proudly, beckoning Harry to come closer. He lightly grabbed Harry's arm and directed him to a workstation on the side. In the centre was an odd contraption that looked kind of like a muggle machine gun, except there was no cartridge or firing pin. In fact there didn't even seem to be a barrel, as there was no hole for any kind of projectile to come out of.

"See this?" he said, pointing at the device. "This is a magical canon I've been developing, adapted from muggle technology. Pureblood supremacists seem to think that us wizards are all powerful and muggles are nothing but they are wrong. They are pathetic individuals. If muggles wanted to wipe us out, they could do so in a heartbeat, they would only have to find out where we are. This device only needs you to plug in your wand on the side-" he said, gesturing to what Harry now understood as the gap to place your wand. "-and pull the trigger. 10 spells a second would then come firing out the other end like rain. It's still in its testing stage but it holds promise. The only thing stopping it from going into mass production is those idiots in the ministry that seem to think they are above using muggle ideas. We may have adapted our fashion sense in Europe from practicality but we are far from completely merging with our muggle counterparts." He finished, sounding slightly frustrated as he did so. Harry could understand why. The wizarding world was terribly archaic on things it considered 'of muggle origin'. Taking a last glance at the contraption, he was led across the room to another bench, this one slightly dustier than the last though strangely, what lay in its centre was a rather small, golden metallic box with a line running through it that looked like a closed hinge. It shone brightly in the room, its polished metal completely unblemished. It looked rather unassuming save the small runes etched into the corner of the metal.

Laurent bent over and carefully picked up the small device, flicking open the top.

So it was a hinge Harry thought.

Underneath he could see…

"Is that a lighter? I've seen one of them before they are hardly new" Harry remarked, bemused by the contraption. Surely there was more to it than met the eye.

"I suppose it does look like a muggle cigarette lighter doesn't it. Go on, spark it up" he said with a smile before handing Harry the device. Mentally shrugging he did as he was told and sparked up the lighter. It was then he noticed that when the flame sparked to life, it was both wider and taller than a standard flame, it's area spreading slightly further than he expected, though not far enough that it could damage anything so long as he paid attention, though perhaps the most striking difference in this flame was that, instead of the usual golden hue he associated with fire, it lit up a deep emerald green…the colour of…

"Floo? I don't understand you can't travel through this…it's too small."

"Well done for stating the obvious" Laurant said sarcastically. "Your skills in deductive reasoning are commendable but no, you're right. I never invented this as a means of travel, but as a means of communication" he emphasized. At Harrys continued confused expression he went on.

"Think of it like a muggle telephone. You light one end and say the name of the person you want to contact or their floo address. The other wizard's device becomes warm in their pocket, they flick open the cap and there you have it, the 'caller's face in the flames. Of course it can also be used with normal floo addresses although nobody could pass through obviously. You could still exchange small items though like letters…" Harry made to give it back but was stalled.

"Keep it. I have hundreds. I dare say it could come in handy in the future for you." He said happily as Harry hesitantly pocketed the floo-light, he had aptly decided to name it. "Well let's get into the real reason I invited you in. I know you probably think I'm a little paranoid...and you're right. Can't be too careful these days…these are dark times. You may see this as just buying something to carry books in but I see it as something more. This is the start of your journey, a journey that in my personal opinion, you should have started years ago."

"Well for some reason my dearest headmaster didn't want me to learn, though I can't lay all the blame at his feet. I've been rather lazy over the years after all" Harry replied in a rather grandiose manner, mocking his own lack of learning. The more he thought about it the more it made him angry.

Especially now he knew the prophecy in its entirety.

"Yes quite" Laurent mused. "Yet here we are. No use crying over spilt floo powder. I will help you, as I've already said I would. I am also going to leave you with a few extras. A few…trinkets as you will. I have no doubt that you will succeed in your endeavours but I see no reason why I shouldn't make it slightly easier for you. After all we are both on the same side aren't we?" he said with a slightly sinister grin.

"We both want Voldemort dead if that's what you mean…" Harry replied.

"Ah but do we? I have not once stated so far I want him dead, neither have I said I wanted you to win. Can you guess why I'm helping you? Have you even questioned it? It is questions like that that you should be asking after all as sometimes things are not quite as black and white as they seem."

Harry tried to piece together the answer to his question. In truth he honestly didn't know why the man was helping him. He really didn't understand the man at all.

The only thing he knew with any degree of certainty was that the man before him was incredibly smart, maybe on a level with Dumbledore himself, and definitely mad. It was his intelligence which made Harry cautious however; anyone that could think on the same level as the headmaster was someone who he should be wary of, regardless of whether they have the same agenda or not.

"I don't know…sorry" Harry said sheepishly. Oh well, he tried.

"A pity" he said shaking his head. "But not altogether unsurprising. You don't know me, so the way my mind works is foreign to you. I would give you a hint, but I doubt that would work either since you still would need to know a little more than you do. Instead I'll tell you outright. You see I don't pick 'sides' like most witches and wizards. I am my own side. Death Eaters are more than welcome to try and seek me out but they will surely fail. I have no interest in war, and I live comfortably enough that I don't see the point in trying to benefit from it. I invest in people, not factions." He said

"You are an icon whether you like it or not, and I can tell you hate it. I can see it in your eyes right now, the hatred of your own title. It's good. It shows you're unlikely to get clouded by the arrogance many people in your position would. There is something else I see in you as well, something that Dumbledore and his lackeys sorely lack." He said.

"And what is that?" Harry asked curious.

"Moral ambiguity" he stated simply. Harry made to interrupt but he was waved off. "Oh don't get me wrong I know you won't stray too far onto the wrong side of the line but you will do what needs to be done. People like Dumbledore, Moody, Shacklebolt…I don't know many others but people like them? They seem to think that using stunning spells and dare I say it, mercy is going to win the way. Mercy is only any use in peacetime and even then it should be used sparingly and with intelligence. You know what to do. Nobody else has to kill…they have a choice in the end…life or death sometimes, but they do indeed have a choice. You don't however because no matter what happens, you will be hunted. It's you or them. I see fire in your eyes kid, mixed with pain…a lot of pain. I can't imagine what has happened to you in your short life. I only hear whispers…and with each whisper the truth dies a little more. The point is you know what you have to do, even if you don't think you do. Instinct and tenacity will win this war…not soldiers and generals."

"I don't see your meaning. Your saying you believe in me over the greatest wizard in Europe because I will fight dirty?"

"No…well yes but that's not all of it. I believe in you over them because you have the conviction to see things through, and do the right thing. You won't run, you won't back down. Even when the world is steeped in hell you will still carry on. You win or you die here, there is no middle ground" He said emphatically.

"Well Laurent…this is all well and good you having faith in me and all but I really really don't know what I'm doing right now. I'm just sort of winging it for the most part. Even with the extra training I'm currently receiving I'm not even close to Riddle's level. It would be like sending a common house cat against a Lion." Harry said with a wry grin.

"You are quite correct. Right this second if the Dark Lord were to waltz up the street right now and demand a duel, you would surely lose. But he isn't here right now is he? So sure is he in in his abilities I daresay you could quite conceivably catch up with him with the right work ethic. It may not be in the next few years or even in the next decade but I have no doubt it is possible. Whether it will happen or not is not within my control but whether or not it can happen is completely down to you and I can see it in your eyes right this second that you will try, because for you losing is not an option".

As he said these words you could see his eyes flash with determination, leaving Harry with no other alternative than to nod. He had never really looked at his situation like that; he seemed to just amble through, taking things as they came but he was right; for him this was do or die. Everyone else could surrender if things came to their absolute worse but not him, he would be hunted regardless. The realisation that there was no middle ground brought forth a strong feeling of determination and focus, a feeling that Laurent seemed to pick up on, as he nodded slowly in affirmation before leading Harry to the back of the room.

"Enough talk about that though. I think it's time you chose your gear before we part ways." With a wave of his wand, Laurent caused the worktable on the far right to disappear along with the dust and the wooden odour.

Another flick of his wand and a dim light coated the area, bringing the equipment in view properly for the first time. Not one trunk even looked slightly the same, each with their own shape and materials. One of them even looked to be made of gold, the magical light reflecting brightly off its polished surface like a miniature sun. He had to look away slightly as to get away from the glare. Others were mostly made up of various woods endowed with metal fittings and intricate designs. He could see one with small snakes spiralling themselves into a lock and another that almost looked like a block; there was not even a crack to show a lid, it's smooth surface black as obsidian. The only mark on it came from a small indent the size of a sickle on the top. It didn't take a genius to work out what it was for. It was blood protection, one of the most secure security systems on the market. It was the same system that the Gringotts' goblins employed.

Another one that leapt out to him was a pale white one with the carvings of wolves running up and down front. It looked like an enlarged jewellery box; a slightly curved lid that could be lifted off with fancy artwork engraved on the front. Harry didn't know what kind of safety measures this device had but could tell it was well made by the level of detail on the artwork. Not only were the pictures expertly drawn, the carved animals moved around on their own, chasing each other playfully.

"What you see before you is my life's work. Not one design is the same and each has their own pre-set features. Whatever your needs I can fulfil them make no mistake, you won't find a better crafter in the world. Call me arrogant but I take supreme pride in the work I create. Here-" he said, gesturing to the black chest Harry was eyeing a minute ago "-is one of the most secure types of chest in the world. It can only be opened using the blood of the owner. Anybody else that tries to gain access will at best, be stunned for 4 hours, and at worst, be a smoking crater on the floor. It entirely depends on the commands you give the box. Once you have given your blood, three buttons appear on the side, controlling the security level. Inside it has 3 different dimensional spaces. The first is standard sized, or rather, un-expandable space. In this space you would keep your normal items such as school books and stationary. Anything you have no reason to hide would be housed in here. The 2nd space would be a library compartment, medium sized. To put that in perspective, you could probably fit around 30 or 40 books depending on size. It's not the largest library in the world but it will do. You would put all your advanced and more questionable knowledge in here. The last compartment is the most secure, under layered voice recognition, kinetic sensors and a second blood recognition system. In here you would put the most valuable and morally questionable items…at least in theory. This isn't the chest I had in mind for you though" he said in a contemplative voice, his tone shifting over to what Harry dubbed as professor mode; he had seen many of his teachers slip into this kind of attitude during his classes.

"It isn't?" he said, surprised at the man's declaration. It sounded perfect for his needs.

"Why not? You just said it yourself, it's one of the most secure security systems." Harry mused.

"Exactly! One of. Not complete. Someone could kill you or steal your blood and have as much access to the first two compartments as they want. Even the third they could gain access too eventually once they break down the enchantments. No…it would be too easy." He said before flicking his wand over to what appeared like empty air. Instead of swishing his wand like normal, he let the point stay still, pointing in front of him, though raising it slightly before lowering it down. His eyes stared straight ahead into the empty space he had trailed his wand.

Harry was about to ask further when with another wave of his wand he realised what he had been doing.

He could only gasp at what he saw.

For what looked like an empty table in front of him, the air shimmered, distorted light making way for the solid features of what really lay on it. For a second it looked like crystalline glass before it shifted again and turned into its true form, a dark brown trunk with gold clasps on its front. The empty air that Laurent had been pointing his wand at wasn't empty air after all…it was an invisible object. Harry's attention was instantly on the small box in front of him; for it was very small. In fact, if not for the expansion charms that he was sure were inside, he doubted the trunk would hold much at all. It was perhaps a foot and a half wide and a foot across. On the side there was what looked like a number of switches, an even darker wood, almost black.

Laurent watched Harry with contented amusement as he admired his creation.

"This is one of my finest works if I do say so myself. It took me years to get the enchantments right on this baby but after many years of painstaking work I did it. The trunk can turn almost completely invisible. The enchantments will never fade or wear as they take their energy from the air around them. I may have technically waved my wand to return the trunk back into its full view but that's just it; it's my wand. The settings only adhere to the commands of the wand it's programmed to obey. No other witch or wizard could use this trunk. Of course they could steal your wand or you could be killed but even then they would have to know where you have put the trunk. If they don't know where it is when they have the wand, they will never know where it is…rather ingenious don't you think?" he gave Harry a slight wink, curling his lip upward slightly.

"Its size is deceiving; though I'm pretty sure you already knew that. It has 10 different compartments, all the same size; around 5x5' across. You could arrange things by subject or do it alphabetically. It's no good for any large items such as brooms but for books and potions equipment it's perfect. Using your voice you can tell your chest to organise items in the way you want, moving them from compartment to compartment and ordering them in a way of your choosing. It will only answer to you and all you have to do is say hide, and the chest will disappear. Of course just saying the word means nothing, you have to mean it." He said with a smile, looking at his work proudly. To be honest, Harry wasn't surprised. The thing was a masterpiece. It was almost completely theft proof, as to steal it you had to find it. He could only marvel at the immense work that must have gone in to create this. To his knowledge the only items you could make invisible were cloaks, with demiguise hair, and that usually faded with time. It made him wonder how his own cloak had lasted so long without so much as a blemish, but that was an argument for another time.

Laurent's voice again snapped him out of his musing.

"Alas, this isn't the chest I had in mind for you either" he said, shocking Harry.

"But-" he protested but he was cut off.

"Don't get me wrong it's a work of art, but for you I have something special in mind." He said, holding his hand up to stop interruptions. He gestured to a chest at the back that was almost stepped in shadow. Bringing is wand out he floated it down front its shelf and laid it down on the workbench, next to the last chest he'd shown. Any argument he had prepared before wouldn't come…this chest was just beautiful. The wood was black ebony, with gilded gold on the edges. Golden snakes wound up and down the side, almost lifelike against the dark wood, its emerald eyes almost glowing. Taking a small step closer to the table he noticed that some of the gold had silver etchings on them, the detail. Remarkable. There was only one problem…well more than one but one problem that really stuck out…

"This is more like it."

"While I appreciate pretty things, don't you think this is a little…flash to take to school?" Harry said with a sceptical eye.

"I thought you might say something like that. You see this is one of my newest creations. What you have here is something that is completely un-steal-able…completely. Not even I can get inside this box now and I made it. You see it as it is in the form that I made it in. It will appear to others how you want it to appear to them. I daresay that when you get on the Hogwarts Express, all anyone else would see is a plain school chest." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

"If it can look that way then why the ostentatious design? It practically screams pureblood." Harry asked.

"The snakes are not just for show you know. When I said it was un-steal-able I wasn't joking. The snakes are the locks, and the locks are voice activated. Surely you can tell where I'm going with this."

A dawning realisation came to Harry.

"Parseltongue" he whispered. It made perfect sense. The only two known Parselmouths in Europe were him and Voldemort. It was infallible. Who would be able to guess a parselmouth password? Voldemort maybe but if he was even in the position to guess Harry surmised that he would have much bigger worries.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"As I said, I like to keep up to date on British news. And believe me, that made the news. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Treat it as a gift. I know you probably just associate the ability with Voldemort but it's so much more than that. Did you know there are some areas of magic that can only be performed in Parseltongue? Parsel magic is very powerful."

"Really?" he said, his interest piqued. A whole new kind of magic?

"How comes I've never heard of it?" Harry asked.

"Because it's labelled as dark magic…which is crazy seeing as Parsel magic is about as pure as it gets. It's so pure that Voldemort himself can't touch it without nearly killing himself." Laurent said dryly

"Really?...why label it dark then?"

"Why do your ministry name most things dark? Because they don't understand it or they can't do it themselves, that's why. They are afraid of any power they cannot control." He said.

"Makes sense."

"Of course it makes sense. Last year they spent the best part of the year on a slander campaign because they didn't want to believe that Voldemort was alive, do you really expect any different from them? I have long since given up on believing that the British Ministry of Magic will be any different" he said with exasperation. Pacing up and down a few meters he turned his attention back to the chest lying on the table, as if he had forgotten it was there.

"That's not important right now though. Let me explain what it is exactly I am giving you. This trunk has 5 different compartments, though the last one is hardly what I consider a normal compartment. The first is a self-organising potions compartment. You just simply drop an ingredient in, saying the name of what it is and it will automatically store in a suitable area. It's rather clever though nothing ground-breaking as a lot of the more well off children have these kinds of storage units. The second compartment is a library that can hold over 400 books…I doubt you'll ever manage to fill it. More for you if you do" he said with a smile.

"Go on, open it I want to show you something"

"How-"

"Just tell it to open in parseltongue. It isn't passworded and as of yet as I can't password it. And before you ask I used permanent animation enchantments on the snakes after I was finished making the rest…before that point I could open and close it as much as I wanted but as soon as that was done I couldn't get inside anymore…good job I was finished or I would have looked like an idiot" he said with a shaky laugh. It occurred to Harry then that Laurent probably didn't mean for that to happen, even if no problems came from it. He couldn't help the smile that came to his lips at the image of a man cursing to himself at his own mistake.

Taking a deep breath he slowly edged over to where the trunk was sitting. The emerald snake eyes seemed to follow him as he got closer, their stones appearing to see right through him. It almost made him shiver. As he got closer he took note of how detailed the carvings on the wood really were. The images were almost lifelike and when the wood gave way to the metal of the snakes, it looked alive, which he guessed it almost was if you take into account the animation charms.

He was about to open his mouth when one of the snakes moved, making Harry jump back slightly.

"Relax it can't hurt you" Laurent laughed behind him, seemingly amused by the situation.

"I know…just made me jump a little…ok" he said taking another deep breath. Staring back into the snakes eyes, he concentrated before finally uttering the words

"Open" he hissed. It was funny; now he was aware of it, he could make out the serpentine syllables escaping his tongue. To human ears to would have sounded creepy, unnatural. It was odd how normal the words felt in his lips.

The moment the words were spoken the cobras that entwined the front moved aside.

"New master recognised, state password" they hissed. He noticed the noise was coming from three snake heads, arranged in a spiral around the front, each head emerging from its core like a triangle. They moved slightly, giving the impression they were breathing. For a moment he was stumped, as he didn't know he would need to think of a password so soon, and the trunk recognised him as its master now. Does that mean it's already his? He would have to ask that in a moment. For now he wracked his brain for a suitable passcode. He was sure he could probably change it but he still needed to make one now...after a few seconds the word came to him.

"Lily" he said. The noise was harsh and cutting, in stark contrast to the warm nature the name exuded. The woman behind the name was even warmer but he didn't want to dwell on that now, he would see her in a few minutes, once he was done here.

The snakes seemed to stare back at him and for a few seconds he thought he had done something wrong but then he heard a click, and the snakes un-entwined themselves, seemingly slithering back in on themselves until they could not be seen at all, leaving a bare black box with gold trimmings. A second later the lid gently opened, completely soundless revealing the space within. There was nothing inside but that was not the point. He was too transfixed by the design

"That was…different."

"What? You didn't know what it would do? You made it didn't you?" Harry asked, slightly perplexed by this reaction.

"With all the different charms I placed on this thing…put it this way, if you imbue an object with enough magical energy, it becomes partially sentient. It will always be under whatever constraints you built it under but sometimes it will evolve and do something…unexpected. I didn't expect it to recognise you as its master…I just assumed you would have to program it yourself. It appears I was mistaken."

"You look like someone who shouldn't be surprised." Harry said to which Laurent chuckled.

"All wizards can be surprised. That is one of the wonders of magic. There is always that which we don't know and that which we will never know. You can always learn new things. Age does not diminish your ability to learn, just your ability to adapt."

"You seem to be doing quite well."

"I shut myself away from society for the most part I hardly call that adapting. I'll give you that I'm more open minded than most…now watch" he said, turning back to the trunk.

"Now other than your standard library you have 2 other compartments."

"You said it had five…so wouldn't that mean there are 3?" Harry asked, to which Laurent grinned devilishly.

"Ah I did, didn't I? I'll save that one for last…needless to say it might…surprise you." He said, a twinkle in his eye rather reminiscent of Dumbledore. This excited him. Whatever it was, it was something big.

"Now compartments 3 and 4 are general usage compartments, one of them medium, the other quite large. I'll let your figure out what you want to put in each, though know when you open the compartments, the trunk will appear empty. You have to physically tell it what you want…in English not Parseltongue. No doubt you could use Parseltongue if you really wanted to but what would be the point? It's not like you will need to password it since the initial locking system is nigh unbreakable." He said proudly, a hint of arrogance lacing his words. He obviously felt that his creation was completely fool proof and knowing the kind of work this man was capable of, he couldn't help but find himself agreeing with the old man. On the outside it didn't look like much; just a pretty black box gilded with gold but on the inside it held so much potential and the fact that the password could only be said in the language of snakes meant that only he had access to it.

"What about if someone overhears me say the password? I'll try and be careful but my friends, as much as I love them, can be nosey buggers" Harry said with a fond smile, though you could see in his eyes how serious the problem was to him.

"Ah yes…I hadn't thought of that I will admit. I can add an extra blood layer of protection if you like it will only take a few minutes. That can wait though, I still haven't got to the good bit," Laurent finished.

"The last compartment" Harry nodded.

He could see Laurent's eyes shining with anticipation. His outward demeanour was as professional as it had been the entire time he had been with him but in his eyes you could see a man who was literally bouncing from the walls with excitement and desperately wanted to show off his final piece and try as he might, he couldn't help but find the excitement catching.

"Right" he affirmed. "Now before I show you this I'm going to have to tell you to never show this to anyone else. Not only what I did is probably highly illegal but if anyone found out about it, it could be exploited for that person's own gain. You'll understand what I mean when I show you." He said before gesturing to the open box. Golden snakes slithered in circles on the face of the dark wood, their tongues darting out of their mouths as if to taste the air. Since the locks were no longer in effect, the snakes had the freedom to roam. Harry was sure that if he commanded, they could remove themselves from the chest completely but he wasn't willing to test the theory. This wasn't the time or place.

"Command the 5th compartment open by saying 'open apartment' in Parseltongue" he instructed.

"Open apartment?" Harry asked with frown.

"Open apartment" Laurent confirmed.

"Ok..." he turned back to the box, focussing on the snakes that roamed the wood. It was the only way he currently knew how to speak to it.

"Open Apartment" he hissed, again the foreign words bleeding from his tongue. At once the snakes' emerald eyes snapped up to meet Harrys, their bodies turning rigid. They appeared still for a fraction of a second, though it felt longer, since in that time, the room was in total silence.

Suddenly, they turned and rushed into the open chest, with speed that he didn't know they possessed. Then something rather strange happened.

The trunk started to grow, slowly expanding both width and depth. With a flick his wand, Laurent levitated the trunk from the table and placed it steadily on the floor. The trunk was still growing when it hit the floor, though after a few seconds it stopped, staying about 2 metres wide and a meter in depth.

Though looking down he could tell that it was much deeper.

For before him, he could see a ladder leading down from the top of the chest.

Without saying a word Laurent caught Harry's eye and merely directed his palm towards the ladder. Gingerly but eagerly Harry moved towards the ladder and started the descent. Thirty rungs down the air turned cool and then within three more steps warmth hit him and he landed inside a room, which was inside a trunk, and yet it was a room on its own.

The inside of the trunk was spacious, the soft glow of the light bulb above illuminating almost every corner of the room. It was decorated in neutral beige, though hints of crimson could be seen here and there as a contrast. The floor was made of marble tiles, green and browns melting into the floor the colour of seaweed. In the centre was a soft brown couch made of leather facing a table. There were also two leather armchairs on either side, all facing the table. On the side without seating stood a large flat screen television. Harry didn't even dwell on the fact that no electrical appliances should be able to work around magic, too stunned was his reaction to the room itself.

"How?" whispered Harry, complete disbelief on his face. This shouldn't be possible. It was a trunk…a storage device…this was a living space. He could quite easily eat and sleep here. It was unthinkable.

"Magic" was the laughing response behind him. Harry turned to see Laurent hop off from the ladder, holding his arms wide with a huge smile on his face.

"This is something isn't it?" he boasted. Harry really didn't have an answer for that. He was still pretty much speechless from what he was seeing. There was even a grandfather clock standing tall on the left side if the room, its pendulum swinging rhythmically, the ticking sound somewhat soothing in the background.

There was a rug covering the floor in between the furniture, a strange Celtic design that he couldn't quite understand, yet it looked pretty enough. A crystal chandelier hung from the 'ceiling' breathing it's dim light around the living space, giving the room certain warmth to it. Looking around, Harry couldn't think of a single thing wrong with it. There were bookshelves, tables, chairs, electrical appliances…what more could you want?

"But…this must have cost a fortune" Harry spluttered, still taking in the room around him.

"Why do things by half measures when you can go all out? Only the furniture cost any real money anyway, the mechanics of the room itself are just a combination of runes and spells…not nearly as expensive as you think" Laurent said proudly as he walked around the room with Harry.

"I modified all the electrical appliances to run off magic…I know you think it's probably impossible…"

"I don't" he interrupted before looking slightly abashed. "I mean my mother managed to get our television to work back home."

"Did she? Smart witch that one" he said with an approving smile.

"That she is" Harry agreed, not able to hide the smile that graced his face when he thought about her. He was truly lucky to be related to her. That thought then led on to him wondering how much she and Petunia were polar opposites. It was like all the good genes went to Lily and Petunia got left with the cast offs. He would have felt sorry for her if not for his treatment over the last 14 years.

"As I was saying, all electrics in here run off magic. I put some surprises in the kitchen."

"Kitchen?" Harry asked.

Follow me" he instructe gesturing to the bookcase, which made Harry arch his eyebrow slightly. Laurent just grinned and walked confidently to where the bookshelf stood. Now he was this close, he could make out some of the book titles sitting on the shelves. His eyes slightly widened at some of the titles; some of these books were really rare. Hermione would have a field day in here…not that he would let her inside. He loved her dearly but she would probably disagree with half the things her was planning; and the spells in some of those books were hardly what people would construe as 'light' spells. Most of them bordered on dark and others were flat out evil. He could spot a book called "A hundred ways to kill your enemy" out of the corner of his eye. Yep , she certainly wouldn't approve. Not that he had a morbid fascination on different ways of killing people. She would most likely object at him just owning the book. Ron would mostly likely overreact for a short while, come around a bit then be forced to side back with Hermione when she started protesting rather vocally. He knew in his heart of hearts that he would side with her over him any day of the week…not because he was a worse friend than she was, but because his own personal feelings towards the girl would cloud his judgement.

It was almost tragic how stubborn those two were when it came to their personal feelings. This whole debacle could have been dealt with in 4th year but no, they had to drag it on for another year…and he was pretty certain if things didn't change, it would drag on for yet another one…he was almost tempted to step in and try and sort the situation himself but then realized he didn't want to be around when they both realized he was setting them up…Ron wasn't quite as stupid as he looked…and Hermione was definitely as smart as she looked.

Shaking those thoughts away he watched as Laurent waved his wand at the book case and spoke the word "Kitchen" in a commanding voice. The word had barely left his lips when Harry could hear gears turning and the bookcase looked like it was retreating in on itself slightly. The structure split through the middle and opened like a door before flattening itself against the inside, almost melting into the wall. Now in front of him there was an open space about 4 metres deep and 10 across. The floor then started to open up and various kitchen appliances rose out of the ground, starting with the basic work surfaces, a leaf green marble colour with pale, almost white wooden cabinets. The gaps in the kitchen set up were soon filled with an array of ovens, dishwashers and washing machines. Small kitchen equipment like microwaves and coffee makers were now coming up through the work surfaces themselves.

Within twenty seconds, a functional kitchen stood in front of him, looking like it had always been that way. He ran his hand over the marble, in awe of what he had just seen. Everyday it seemed like he knew less and less about magic and this was proof of it.

"What the…" he whispered, trailing off as he was lost in his own thoughts. He could hear Laurent's throaty laughter behind him.

"I thought it would be somewhat easier to keep everything together rather than create a completely separate room. All you have do is say 'Bookcase' when pointing your wand at it and it will revert back to its original form. If you have any food in the oven it will continue cooking as well…though I would advise you make sure you know when it's ready as any alarm you set you wouldn't hear…just be careful." He warned. He walked up to one of the nearest cupboards and opened the door, revealing an assortment of cereals and snack foods.

"As I said, it's fully stocked...you can link it to your Gringotts account if you like and just vocalise what you want in there if it runs low…within the day it will be magically restocked. That's something for another day though." He said dismissively before closing the door again.

"I would show you everything but even I have a time limit and have things I need to get back to. I'll let you explore at your own leisure when you take this home. Underneath the rug in the main room is a gold ring. Just stand in that ring and say 'Duelling room' or 'bed room' and the current living room will rearrange itself. I wish I could show you how everything works but there just isn't enough time. I've left an 'instruction' manual on the tea table in front of the TV." He said gesturing to the table where, sure enough, there was a single book sitting on the corner.

"Rather big for an instruction book don't you think?" Harry asked.

"Trust me, if more instruction books were this size, there would be far less accidents" replied Laurent in a way that told Harry he was speaking from experience. Walking back towards the steps that led to the surface he took one last sweeping glance of the room before climbing the steps slowly out the chest. Even as he stepped out of the trunk, he was still in a state of shock, not quite believing what he had just been shown below. It was almost unfathomable.

He essentially had a mobile home, a place to escape to when things got too much. He would be able to relax on his own. This was a place even his friends wouldn't know of. He knew he was being a little selfish but for once he really didn't care. This was his space, his little area away from the real world where he could do what he wanted, when he wanted. He would explore the chest later with his mom; he couldn't wait to show it to her. He realised that its origins may be a little hard to explain but he put that into the back of his mind.

Brushing some dust off his robes, Harry looked back towards Laurent who was now smiling again. It was almost unnerving compared to the stoic figure he had met outside less than half an hour ago. He looked like Christmas had come early for him.

"Truly something isn't it. I dare say this is my greatest achievement." He said happily. "I can only hope that you use this well. Most of the more…interesting features I have left there for you to find. Be careful who you show this to, as I can tell you now, this piece will be the cause of a lot of envy. It's un-steal-able, unbreakable and has the biggest array of gadgets possible. I've only shown you the tip of the iceberg...but you'll find out on your own" he said happily. "Now if you would…" he trailed off though Harry got the message.

"Lock" he said with a hiss, slipping into Parseltongue. The snakes slithered back from inside the trunk and formed into their normal locking pattern around the lock before engaging with a loud click and a small glow to indicate that the trunk was now completely secure. The trunk also subtley shrank back down again as it did so, though not so fast that you could easily perceive the action.

"It's been a pleasure talking to you. Remember what I told you earlier. You know what you have to do. Don't let other people make you feel guilty if you're a little heavy handed for their tastes. This is a war not a playground. I believe in you now and I need you to believe in yourself as well." He said straightening himself up. Quickly waving his wand, he shrank the trunk that was on the desk and levitated it into the air, still shrinking before it settled in front of Harry. Holding out his hand, Harry took the now miniature trunk in his palm and pocketed it delicately, treating it like it was made of glass, even though he knew that it was unbreakable…it was perhaps the most valuable thing he owned.

"How much do I owe you?" He asked tentatively. He knew this must cost a fortune…it was positively ridiculous with its features.

"Nothing" he replied simply. "All-" he said, raising his hand to stop Harry as he made to interrupt. "All I ask is that you treat it well and use it as it was meant to be used. I can't in good conscience take money for something that could be instrumental to you winning a war that affects the entire world. I have sold to many people in my life…some humble, some arrogant, some just normal people that want to treat themselves. Never have I sold to someone that's been dealt a hand as troubling as yours…you have a seemingly impossible task ahead of you. One that won't be possible unless you believe in yourself and push forward." He impressed. Harry stared at him with flat look and nodded, though he felt extremely uncomfortable taking yet another hand out.

"I can afford it though it wouldn't feel right-"

"It wouldn't feel right taking money for it either. Save your money for something else."

"Wait a minute…so I just happen to come across your shop, and you just happen to have this super advanced trunk that has pretty much everything I could ever need inside it and now you're telling me that you're giving it to me free of charge… something's not adding up here."

"Good" he said cheerfully "If you weren't suspicious you'd be a fool. A fool with a really cool trunk but a fool nonetheless" he laughed.

"I could tell you I didn't notice you walking up the street lost in thought…but then that would make me look like a liar wouldn't it. I could say that I hadn't been working on this gem for the last two years in the hope that one day I could gift it to you but I suppose that would make me look like a liar too. There is truly nothing I could tell you that would make you want to believe what I have to say so it's best to just accept what is and be done with it. You don't have to trust anything I say, just take what I give you and do what you must. Things will become clear in time…or not. It depends. I like to think that one day you'll figure things out. You're smart enough."

"…what?" Harry said with an open mouth, confused by the old man's rather cryptic statements.

"Just go with it" he said simply. Leading Harry through the shop towards the front door, he pulled out a small ring, which Harry noticed was made of white gold and had a pale blue, almost clear gemstone set in its centre. He just held it lightly in his hand before he got to the front door, stopping as he turned to face him.

"Here" he said, holding out the ring. Harry just looked at it for a few seconds. What use could he have for that? He was never one to wear jewellery, both from the fact that it didn't really interest him and the fact that the Dursleys would have taken anything of value off of him.

"…thanks?" he said uncertainly. He didn't really know how to answer that without seeming rude. As if reading Harry's thoughts, Laurent pressed on.

"Press down on the gem and say my name if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

"You never know."

"Well that's a brilliant answer. You start off the conversation by pointing a wand in my face and now you're just giving me things all the while spouting things I don't fully understand."

"You will" he said dismissively before opening the door. Harry now noticed the sun had moved considerably, long shadows now snaking their way across the street outside. The air was noticeably cooler and the noise from the high street earlier had quietened somewhat.

"Oh how very reassuring."

"Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Giving you all the answers would take all the fun out of it" He explained with a reassuring smile. For a few seconds a silence fell over the two of them, and Laurent slowly led Harry out of the house and through the back garden. The air was noticeably a little cooler and a light breeze gently rolled off their faces.

"This is where we part ways...obviously" Laurent added with a smile.

"Thank you for this. I appreciate this I really do. I still feel rather guilty taking this from you without paying...doesn't feel right" Harry said sincerely. You could see the gratitude on his face, even if he was still rather uncomfortable with accepting charity.

"Ah don't you worry about that. I can make my money somewhere else. This was far more important" he reassured.

"Well thank you anyway" repeated Harry before walking down the steps leading away from the house and down the path.

"I'll see you later" Laurents voice called behind him. He didn't turn around, though he nodded to show that he heard, and walked steadily away from the house. As he opened the garden gate, and walked back into the main street, the sound of people started to fill his ears once more, as he had now left the silencing charms on the property again. They were nowhere near as prevalent as they were before, now the occasional voice breaking through the silence rather than a cacophony of noise filled with broken words. As he slowly made his way back onto the main high street, he noticed many shops now had closed signs. It was then he started to panic slightly.

"How long was I in there?" he asked to himself in wonderment.

"Mom is going to kill me" he added under his breath. He knew his mother would never leave without him, and the amulet he wore to disguise himself would show if he was in distress. Still, he knew she would worry, since they had only been reunited a short while, and wanted to keep him close, even if sometimes it bordered on annoying. He didn't mind too much though, since it showed she cared, something that he'd been missing from most of the authority figures in his life.

It didn't take him very long to find her. She was just where she said she would be. She stood there, right in the middle of the cobbled road, glaring daggers at him, so piercing that he instantly shrank back on himself slightly. A sheepish expression started to form on his face as he walked towards her, not able to properly meet her eyes. It didn't take her long to start shouting at him.

"Where the hell have you been?! I said an hour...an hour...it's been nearly 90 bloody minutes! Do you have any idea how worried I was? Any idea? You could have been anywhere and I wouldn't have known!" she shouted at him. Harry just looked down towards the floor, afraid to look at her.

"I was worried sick..." she whispered, a slight quiver to her voice. At this Harry slowly looked up to meet her in the eye, and he notice they were slightly watered. It tore at his heart to see her on the verge of crying and quickly apologised.

"I'm sorry mom...I got held up and lost track of time. I didn't mean to make you worry" he said meekly, feeling terrible for putting her through this. His earlier elation he had now disappeared, only to replaced by a feeling of shame. He couldn't believe he had forgotten his mother. There was nothing he could have done about being late but he was sure that if he asked Laurent, he would have lent him an owl to deliver a quick message. He felt suitably chastised.

Taking a deep breath, Lily brought her hand up and poked him hard in the chest

"Don't-do-that-again" she said, enunciating each word with a jab, her voice sharp and scolding. She then immediate stopped and enveloped Harry in a strong hug, burying her face in his neck.

"Try not to worry me too much in the future ok?" she said, her voice muffled slightly from talking into his body.

"I'll do my best. Though with the war-" Harry started, only to be cut off.

"Within reason Harry...as terrified as I am, I know there are some things I can't protect you from...just don't go out looking for danger if you can help it" she said, as she disengaged the hug and stood before him, with a small bitter smile on her lips. She still had both of Harrys hands held lightly by the wrist, though she let go of one of them so they could walk side by side for a while back up the street.

"You know you can let go of my hand now...I'm not 5 and I'm not your boyfriend...actually forget I said the last bit, that would just be wrong" he said, shaking his head to clear the disturbing image.

"What? Not pretty enough for you?" Lily said in a teasing voice.

"Of course you are your beautiful but the blood relation thing does kind of put an unfortunate roadblock there. I'm sorry to break your heart my dearest Lily flower" Harry teased back, his voice turning into a drawl that slightly resembled Professor Snape, though he smiled brightly at the end and gave his mother a quick wink.

"You wound me" she said, putting her hands over her heart. "Though a tip for when you go back to Hogwarts, don't call girls flowers...it's cheesy and annoying and sickly sweet to the point of being nauseating" she said.

"My father called you that didn't he" Harry said in an amused tone

"Yep...and it made me want to punch him" Lily replied with irritation

"Duly noted." Harry said deadpanned

"Good" Lily said with a smile.

The starting walking back up the high street in silence for a while, though Lily made no effort to remove her hand from his along the whole way. He knew he should probably feel embarrassed but the truth was it felt nice...comforting. After walking for a few minutes in companionable silence, Lily finally spoke up.

"So...care to tell me why you made me worry for 90 minutes? Surely it can't take that long to get a new school trunk. Even a multi-compartment takes 20 minutes at the most" Lily asked with curiosity. To be fair Harry knew this question was coming, and had no intention of lying.

"Well..." Harry started, and he went on to explain the meeting that he had with Fabre, from the somewhat shakey start to their meeting, which made his mother scowl slightly.

"Who welcomes somebody into their home by pointing a wand to the back of their neck?" She had asked.

He then went on to explain Laurents strange cryptic statements, impressing how important he was in the war effort and how he had shown him various different inventions around the shop. He had explained how Laurent said that choosing his trunk was more important than he realised, which prompted a raised eyebrow from his mother. It made him laugh since that was the look he guessed he gave when presented this information.

When he finally got around to explaining the trunk itself, Lilys eyes were as wide as saucers.

"An apartment? Are you fucking kidding me!?"

"Mom!...you swore" Harry shouted, surprised that her mother would even use that kind of language in front of him.

"Sorry" she said with a sheepish smile to which Harry laughed. "but seriously, you literally have a house in your trunk...you could live there.

"Might look a tad suspicious if I completely disappear for days on end." Harry said

"I said could not should Harry." She said, rolling her eyes. "Still, you could study in their for hours away from prying eyes"

"The thought had occurred to me don't worry. Though I was thinking more about just finding some peace and quiet once in a while. I love my friends but they can by trying sometimes." He said shaking his head.

"I understand" Lily said sympathetically. A few seconds passed awkwardly. "It sounds amazing though. And you said he just gave it to you?" Lily said with a disbelieving tone.

"Yeah. He almost looked insulted when I offered money" Harry said

"A bit..."

"Suspicious I know. I can't imagine he'd mean any ill will though. He's just a strange person I'd guess." Harry said shrugging his shoulders. He didn't mention the ring that he gave to him. For some reason he felt that that was for only him, and that he should keep that a secret. It wasn't important anyway at present.

What was important Harry realised, was where he went from here. He now had all the tools to better himself. Now it was up to him to do it. As Harry walked up the cobbled street, climbing the steps that led to the exit wall, he couldn't help a smile spread across his face as he felt all the pieces start to slot into place.

"Yeah...strange" Lily said trailing off. "Now..." she said with a mischievous grin plastered across her face "I think we can both agreed we've had quite a bit of excitement...almost too much excitement you might say, for one day. What would you say we went out for dinner? My treat?" she offered.

"Sounds good but-"

"No Harry you are not paying" Lily interrupted with exasperation

"Damn" Harry swore to which Lily laughed.

Seconds later the exit wall opened up again, and they were back in central Paris.

As usual thank you for sticking with me :) read and review.

PS: For the next few chapters this story is going to be no.1 priority so Perfection is going to be a lot slower on its updates. That does NOT mean I'm not writing it. It just means I'm working on it less than this story.